• Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser – front close-up, switched on, mist flame rising
  • Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser – with remote control
  • Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser – in the living room
  • Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser – on the bedside table
  • Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser – Lyall Duguid in his workshop
  • Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser – customer in an armchair beside the diffuser
  • Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser – features
  • Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser – dimensions

Final batch of 327 • No restock • In 6 active carts right now

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

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Lyall Duguid
Handcrafted by Lyall Duguid — Perth, Ontario
★★★★★ 4.8 (180)
Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser – front close-up, switched on, mist flame rising

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

$55.45
$55.45 $97.60
SAVE $42.15 Sold out

Made by hand in Perth, Ontario · 327 left · no restock

A little fire you can put your hand through

Lyall Duguid spent forty-seven years building real fireplaces. This is the small one he built for his wife Doreen, in a retirement residence where candles were not allowed: painted logs, a low ember glow, and a flame of cool, lit mist rising from the top. A drop of lavender in the water, a remote by the bed, and a timer that switches it off after she falls asleep.

— Lyall Duguid, stonemason since 1966

47 yearsof building fireplaces
327made, no second run
1 · 3 · 8 htimer, switches itself off

She said the residence smelled like a hospital and she missed watching a fire go up the chimney. So I gave her a flame that moves, and a little of the lavender from her desk drawer. The first night she called me and said, Lyall, it’s lit. And it smells like lavender.

Lyall Duguid, about the first one he built for Doreen

What arrives at your door

Everything you need for the first evening is in the box. Krista, Lyall’s daughter, insisted on the oils.

The fireplace diffuserLong, low black box with hand-painted logs, ember glow and the mist flame on top.
The remoteSmall, white, four buttons. On and off, mist, light and timer from your bed or chair.
Three essential oilsLavender for Doreen, plus sweet orange and tea tree. A few drops go in the water.
USB power cablePlugs into a USB wall plug or port. No batteries to buy or change.
InstructionsA short sheet that shows the water line and how to set the timer.
Gift boxIt arrives boxed and ready to hand over, which is how most of them are given.
Six things that make it Lyall’s

Every one of these comes from forty-seven years of watching real fires, and one year of building small ones before dawn.

01
The flame testSwitch it on and pass your hand straight through the flame. It is cool, fine mist lit from below, a little damp like morning fog. It never gets hot, so there is nothing to blow out and nothing that can tip into a curtain.
02
The woodpile logsThe logs were patterned on split maple from the Duguids’ own woodpile, the wood Doreen watched him stack every September. The embers are painted into the cracks by hand, so the glow sits low, the way a fire glows an hour in.
03
A flame that movesA cheap imitation shines a flat orange bulb at a plastic log. Here the flame is real mist moving in the air of your room, so it leans, climbs and flickers and is never quite the same twice. That is the part Lyall cared about most.
04
Doreen’s lavenderAdd a few drops of oil to the water and the mist carries the scent into the room. Lavender and sweet orange are what many people reach for to slow down and unwind in the evening, and the staff at Doreen’s residence started calling hers the quiet room.
05
Remote and touch timerTurn it on from bed, change the mist or the light, then let it switch itself off after one, three or eight hours. The three timer buttons are on the front, to the right of the window, big enough to find in the dark.
06
The bedside size24 cm long, 10.4 cm tall, 9.9 cm deep (9.5 × 4.1 × 3.9 in). It fits a bedside table, a windowsill, a bookshelf or a desk. A small fire for a small room, not a mantel fireplace.
Lit in four steps

No tools, no setup, nothing to assemble. Most people have it lit in under two minutes.

1Lift the lidTake off the black top. Underneath is the water tank.
2Add water and a few dropsFill with tap water up to the line, about one glass, then add a few drops of oil.
3Plug it inPut the lid back on and plug the USB cable into a wall plug or port.
4Light itPress ON/OFF on the remote, then pick 1, 3 or 8 hours on the timer.
Candle, store-bought diffuser, or Lyall’s?

Why the families at the residence in Smiths Falls asked for this one by name.

Candle Plastic diffuser Lyall’s
Looks like a real fire Yes No Yes
Safe to touch the flame No — Yes
Allowed in most residences No Yes Yes
Switches itself off No Sometimes 1, 3 or 8 h
Scent for the evening Yes Yes Yes, 3 oils included
Logs painted by hand — No Yes

From 31 years in the fire service

“Candles start hundreds of house fires a year in this province alone, and more than a third of them start in a bedroom. December is the worst month, and Christmas Day the worst day of the year. Once you are past sixty-five, you are about twice as likely to be hurt in a house fire. A thing like Lyall’s gives people the part they miss, without the part that used to get me out of bed at two in the morning. And it turns itself off, so nobody has to remember.”

— Gord Lalonde, retired fire captain, Eastern Ontario

Who this is for

Most of these are not bought for the person ordering them.

Mom’s room at the residenceAnyone who misses a real fireApartments and condos without a fireplaceCandle lovers who gave up candlesEvening wind-down by the bedHomes with pets and grandkidsChristmas and the long winter eveningsThe parent who already has everything
What you are actually getting
  • A little fire, not a light bulb. The glow sits low in the painted cracks and the mist flame moves on its own, the way a real fire never holds still.
  • Cool all evening. No open flame and no heat, which is why the residence in Smiths Falls let Doreen keep the first one on her bedside table.
  • It switches itself off. Set 1, 3 or 8 hours and fall asleep watching it.
  • Ready the first night. Remote, cable and three oils are in the box. You only add a glass of water.
  • Yours is a little different. Every set of embers was painted by hand, so no two glow exactly alike.
  • 327 exist and there is no restock. Lyall’s hands are finished and the workshop goes with the house before the snow.
30days
30 days, no argument

If it doesn’t make the room feel different, send it back within 30 days and get your money back. Every order is checked and packed by hand and ships within 1–2 days.

Please read before ordering

This is a tabletop piece, 24 cm long and 10.4 cm tall. The photographs are taken close up, so please check the measurements. It is made for a bedside table or a shelf, not to stand in front of a hearth.

The flame is cool water mist lit from below, not fire, and it gives off no heat. The logs are cast resin, patterned on real split maple and painted by hand. We would rather say so here than let anybody find out later.

It runs on the USB cable, not on batteries, so it needs to be plugged into a USB wall plug or port. Please do not fill the tank above the water line, or the mist effect will be weaker.

The oils are for scent and atmosphere only. Use a few drops in the water, never on the skin, and keep the bottles away from children and pets.

It looks its best in a dim room in the evening. Switch off the lamps and it becomes a fire.

Product details
Product Lyall’s Fireplace Diffuser, tabletop fireplace aroma diffuser
Size 24.1 × 9.9 × 10.4 cm (9.5 × 3.9 × 4.1 in)
Weight 600 g (about 1.3 lb)
Housing Matte black, removable lid with flame slot
Logs Cast resin, patterned on split maple, embers painted by hand
Flame effect Cool water mist lit from below by warm LEDs
Water tank 300 ml
Controls Remote control; touch buttons on the front for the 1, 3 and 8 hour timer
Power USB, DC 5V/2A, about 5 W
Heat None. The flame is cool to the touch
In the box Diffuser, remote, 3 essential oils (lavender, sweet orange, tea tree), USB cable, instructions, gift box
Made by Lyall Duguid, Perth, Ontario. Built 2025–2026 in his sandstone workshop
Quantity available 327 pieces. No restock
Shipping Ships within 1–2 days
Guarantee 30-day money-back guarantee
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The Final Series

Message from the workshop:

After forty-seven years building fireplaces across Lanark County, Lyall Duguid can no longer hold a brush steady. He built these little fireplaces in his sandstone workshop in Perth in the year after he lost his wife Doreen, most of them before the sun came up, each one painted by hand for rooms where a candle isn’t allowed. 327 were finished. When these are gone, there is no restock and no second run.

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Why there is no second batch

Some things are made by one pair of hands, for decades, and then never again.

The Final Series is the last work of craftspeople who are putting down their tools. No factory, no successor, no second batch. Just the final pieces from their workshops, each one shaped by a lifetime of getting it right.

When they're gone, they're gone.

View full details

180+ Verified Buyers

Excellent 4.8

What Lyall’s customers are saying

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

We closed up the woodstove at the cottage when the insurance went sky high. This sits on the coffee table now with a couple of drops of orange in. Smaller than I thought, about the length of a hardcover, but it fills the room with that glow.

Verified

Bev A., Bobcaygeon, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

My wife’s idea. I said it looked like a toy on the website. It doesn’t. The logs look real, the remote sits on my armrest and it’s quiet enough that I can still hear the hockey.

Verified

Gerry O., Napanee, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

My granddaughter gave me this for my room at the residence because candles aren’t allowed. She showed me how to fill it and set the timer. I put it on for an hour after supper and it reminds me of the farmhouse. Never warm to the touch.

Verified

Shirley V., Prescott, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

No fireplace in a condo, obviously. This is the next best thing on a February night. About a glass of water and a few drops of lavender and it’s good for the evening. Got to Ottawa quicker than I expected.

Verified

Nicole B., Orleans, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

Came in a good sturdy gift box with the three oils inside, so I didn’t have to wrap a thing. I kept it for myself in the end and ordered a second one for my sister in Carp. The eight hour setting is handy on cold nights.

Verified

Darlene K., Almonte, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

Bought it mostly for the remote, my arthritis makes little switches hard. Works from across the rec room. It runs off a USB cable, I used the plug from an old phone charger. Looks exactly like the photos.

Verified

Ron T., Sudbury, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

We closed up the woodstove at the cottage when the insurance went sky high. This sits on the coffee table now with a couple of drops of orange in. Smaller than I thought, about the length of a hardcover, but it fills the room with that glow.

Verified

Bev A., Bobcaygeon, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

My wife’s idea. I said it looked like a toy on the website. It doesn’t. The logs look real, the remote sits on my armrest and it’s quiet enough that I can still hear the hockey.

Verified

Gerry O., Napanee, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

My granddaughter gave me this for my room at the residence because candles aren’t allowed. She showed me how to fill it and set the timer. I put it on for an hour after supper and it reminds me of the farmhouse. Never warm to the touch.

Verified

Shirley V., Prescott, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

No fireplace in a condo, obviously. This is the next best thing on a February night. About a glass of water and a few drops of lavender and it’s good for the evening. Got to Ottawa quicker than I expected.

Verified

Nicole B., Orleans, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

Came in a good sturdy gift box with the three oils inside, so I didn’t have to wrap a thing. I kept it for myself in the end and ordered a second one for my sister in Carp. The eight hour setting is handy on cold nights.

Verified

Darlene K., Almonte, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

Bought it mostly for the remote, my arthritis makes little switches hard. Works from across the rec room. It runs off a USB cable, I used the plug from an old phone charger. Looks exactly like the photos.

Verified

Ron T., Sudbury, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

We closed up the woodstove at the cottage when the insurance went sky high. This sits on the coffee table now with a couple of drops of orange in. Smaller than I thought, about the length of a hardcover, but it fills the room with that glow.

Verified

Bev A., Bobcaygeon, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

My wife’s idea. I said it looked like a toy on the website. It doesn’t. The logs look real, the remote sits on my armrest and it’s quiet enough that I can still hear the hockey.

Verified

Gerry O., Napanee, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

My granddaughter gave me this for my room at the residence because candles aren’t allowed. She showed me how to fill it and set the timer. I put it on for an hour after supper and it reminds me of the farmhouse. Never warm to the touch.

Verified

Shirley V., Prescott, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

No fireplace in a condo, obviously. This is the next best thing on a February night. About a glass of water and a few drops of lavender and it’s good for the evening. Got to Ottawa quicker than I expected.

Verified

Nicole B., Orleans, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

Came in a good sturdy gift box with the three oils inside, so I didn’t have to wrap a thing. I kept it for myself in the end and ordered a second one for my sister in Carp. The eight hour setting is handy on cold nights.

Verified

Darlene K., Almonte, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

Bought it mostly for the remote, my arthritis makes little switches hard. Works from across the rec room. It runs off a USB cable, I used the plug from an old phone charger. Looks exactly like the photos.

Verified

Ron T., Sudbury, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

We closed up the woodstove at the cottage when the insurance went sky high. This sits on the coffee table now with a couple of drops of orange in. Smaller than I thought, about the length of a hardcover, but it fills the room with that glow.

Verified

Bev A., Bobcaygeon, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

My wife’s idea. I said it looked like a toy on the website. It doesn’t. The logs look real, the remote sits on my armrest and it’s quiet enough that I can still hear the hockey.

Verified

Gerry O., Napanee, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

My granddaughter gave me this for my room at the residence because candles aren’t allowed. She showed me how to fill it and set the timer. I put it on for an hour after supper and it reminds me of the farmhouse. Never warm to the touch.

Verified

Shirley V., Prescott, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

No fireplace in a condo, obviously. This is the next best thing on a February night. About a glass of water and a few drops of lavender and it’s good for the evening. Got to Ottawa quicker than I expected.

Verified

Nicole B., Orleans, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

Came in a good sturdy gift box with the three oils inside, so I didn’t have to wrap a thing. I kept it for myself in the end and ordered a second one for my sister in Carp. The eight hour setting is handy on cold nights.

Verified

Darlene K., Almonte, ON

Lyall's Fireplace Diffuser

Bought it mostly for the remote, my arthritis makes little switches hard. Works from across the rec room. It runs off a USB cable, I used the plug from an old phone charger. Looks exactly like the photos.

Verified

Ron T., Sudbury, ON

See Lyall’s Fireplace Diffuser

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Email us anytime at support@backroad-goods.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET) — whether it’s about your order, a gift, or just to say hello.

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Can I return it if it’s not for me?

Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Put it on your bedside table, and if it simply isn’t right for you, email support@backroad-goods.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked.

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